Selling With Dolphin

Pelicans at Amity

Selling with Dolphin

When selling a property the best advice we can give is for you to try and put yourself in a prospective buyer’s position.

Presenting a well looked after home can often increase the sale price as well as the time a property may take to sell. This does not mean that you should go out and spend on renovations however, as seeing potential in a home is what some buyers are looking for.

Particularly on North Stradbroke Island many of the older fibro cottages can be seen as an investment for the purchaser and they may not wish to pay extra for the new kitchen or paint job as they are planning to build a new home on the property.

The trick is to find the delicate balance of good presentation at a minimum cost.

Just Sold
Selling tips

Following is a few tips on how you can best achieve this balance:

Firstly, take a walk around the outside of the property and look at it as if you were thinking of buying it yourself. This will be the initial impression your home will give out to prospective buyers.

  • The garden, lawns and front entrance should be tidy, mowed and free of weeds.
  • Flowers in season add to the presentation of the home, as do trimmed edges and trees.
  • Check the gutters for leaves and other clutter, including those pesty trees that take root in the gutters!
  • Clean out the garage, carport and sheds if possible.
  • Ensure that the built in barbeque is clean as well as fish cleaning areas.
  • Gates and doors to garages etc should be oiled and working.
  • If you do wish to repaint at all, it should be in neutral colours so as to suit as many prospective purchasers as possible.

Then move on to the inside while still imagining paying your asking price for this property.

  • Pack all non-essential items away. The reason – so as to give as ‘uncluttered’ and spacious a feel as possible.
  • Remove any unwanted furniture – maybe now is the time for a garage sale?
  • Everything should be in working order – including no dripping taps, broken door handles, broken windows or blown light bulbs.
  • Floors should be clean, windows and drapes should be washed, cupboards neat and tidy. Untidy or cluttered cupboards will give the impression of not enough storage space.
  • Make sure that there are no odours such as cooking, smoke or pet smells.
  • Kitchen benches should be clear, bathrooms particularly clean from mould.

If you have tenants:

  • It may be a good idea to reduce the rent on the property as a thank you to your tenants for their cooperation.
  • If you wish to have Open For Inspections on the property and the tenants agree, maybe organising a cleaner for them is an option, getting a gardener in or shouting them a meal at the local club or restaurant as a sign of appreciation.
  • Helpful tenants often assist greatly in the sale of a property, so having them on side is always a very positive thing, and the last thing that an agent wants to do is make life uncomfortable for a tenant!

Buying, selling or renting? Contact us now!